Automatic control for hoisting machines



July 25, 1933 A. H. WILSON 1,919,818

AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR HOISTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 13 R we r116): Eben/mic?" H. URI/50w,

July 25, 1933 A. H. WILSON AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR HOISTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 3, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented. July 25, 1933 I unrrsnfsrrs PATENT- OFFICE,

' ALEXANDER H. WILSON, OF'OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS ELEVATOR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS Auro vm'ric con'rnor. FOB norsrrne MACHINES Application filed December 3, 1932. Serial No. 645,564.

This invention relates to hoisting -machines, and has reference more particularly to machines of the type designed for use in building operations to elevate building have alternating'service and return movements, and equipped with automatic and manual controls, the former serving to arrest the cable winding mechanism and apply a brake thereto, and the latter to release the brake and start the cable-winding mechanism.

Heretofore the automatic control mechanism has been actuated,"in-'some instances, by a forked arm attached' t'o the top crossbar or other portion of each lift and straddling a vertical limb of the control'cable, and but tons on said control. "cable adapted to be struck'by a forked arm just before each lift reaches the unloading story, as'in Letters Patent to Allen'1,586,768, June 1, 1926, and my own Patent 1,621,700, March 22, 1907; andin other-casesby'a striker fastened'to the hoisting cable a slight distance above the top bar of thefliftand adapted to en gage with and actuate anarm by which a rotary movement is'imparted to a pulley on which the, control cable is mounted, as illustrated in my Patent 1,623,14'Z, April 5,

It may here be explained that what I have termed the control cable is a cable extending from the top of a lift-supportingframe or tower to the hoisting machine itself, through the operations ,of which cable the winding drum .of' the hoisting machine is thrown out of operation, and a brake is applied tolock the drum against back-turning under-the load, and the device above re .ferred to as the manual controlconsists of one or more leversat the top of the tower 1 through which the control cable is actuated to release the brake and simultaneously start the rotation of the windingdrum.

One obj ect'of'my present improvement is toprovide a newand simple trip device for operating the automatic control mechanism as each loaded lift reaches unloading position, which will be so locatedas to'be out of'the' way of accidental breakage or injury, and which will, incidentally and in dependently of its trip function, exert a steadying influence on the two lifts during their alternate risin and descending movements. Another ob 'ect of the invention is to provide an improved automatic control mechanism for operating the control cable well adapted to cooperate with my improved tripping means, although capable of operation by other tripping means such as those disclosed in the above identified patents.

In order that my improvements may be clearly understood by persons skilled in the art to which they relate, I have, in the accompanying drawings, illustrated one simple and practical ph sical embodiment thereof, -and referringft eret0:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the lifts or cages and their supporting and guiding means broken out between its upper and lower ends.

Fig. 2 is a view Fig.1, and partly in vertical section on the offset line 22 of Fig. 1. "gFig. 3 is a plan section on the offset line 3+3 or Fig. 1.

designate two} pairs of vertical uprights erected side by side on a base 13 and constir tuting guides for a pair of lifts or cages la and; 141 The. upper ends of the uprights 12 and'12. are rigidly connected and spaced by a pair of horizontal beams 15. Journaled U g '15 i I at'ri'ght angles to that of Fig;1,=partly in elevation from the left of in suitable bearings on and between the top beams 15 are a pair of lift-supporting pulleys 16 and 16, which, in practice, are equipped with an automatic pawl-andratchet detent mechanism, such as is shown and described in my former Patent 1,621,700, for holding the loaded lift in elevated position until its load has been discharged, but as such detent mechanism forms no part of the present invention, I have omitted it from the present drawings.

A single continuous hoisting cable 17 is connected at one end to the top cross beam of the lift 14 and extends thence over the pulley 16, thence downwardly and beneath an idler pulley 18 (Fig. 3) mounted on the base 13, thence laterally of the elevator frame to the winding drum of a power operated hoisting machine, such as is fully shownand described in my Patent 1,621,700, around which drum it is passed several times, thence back beneath a second idler .pulley 18 (Fig. on the base 13, thence upwardly and over the supporting pulley 16 with its other end attached to the top cross bar of the lift 14; the length of the cable being such that when one cage is in its lowest position, the other cage will be in its highest position.

In practice, the hoisting cable 17 is operated by a power-actuated hoisting machine such, for example, as is fully disclosed and described in my Letters Patent 1,621,- 700. In such hoisting machine, the winding drum is alternately rotated in opposite directions by two clutch-controlled drives from the motor to the drum. The drum is equipped with a brake for holding it against backward rotation when the clutch has been unshipped and the throttle of the motor is also automatically opened when the hoisting operation starts and automatically closed when the hoisting operation ceases. The clutch, the brake, and the throttle are,

. insuch machine, automatically actuated by mechanisms set in operation through the agency of a control cable that is suspended from a pulley at the top of the lift frame. A similar control cable is herein shown at 19 in Figs. 2 and 3, the same being suspended from a grooved pulley 20 fast on one end of a horizontal rock shaft 21 that is journaled in bearings 22 carried by a supporting bracket 23 in turn mounted, as by clamp plates 24 and 25 on and between the two inner uprights 12 and 12. The depending reaches of the control cable 19'pass over a pair of guide pulleys 26, 26 (Fig. 3) and thence to the clutch, brake and throttle actuating parts of the hoisting machine, all

as fullydescribed in my aforesaid Patent 1,621,700. As above stated, this control cable 19 has heretofore been actuated, either directly by buttons on the control cable engaged by striker arms carried by the lifts as the latter reach their uppermost positions, or by buttons or other strikers on the hoisting cable acting through a mechanism for partly rotating a shaft such as 21 and, therefore, partly rotating a cable-suspending pulley such as 20.

One feature of my present invention resides in an improved means for tripping such mechanism for partly rotating the shaft 21, and another feature of improvement resides in the mechanism itself that is actuated by such tripping means,

First describing the tripping mechanism, this consists of what I term a trip cable 27, the mounting of which is best shown in Fig. 1. This cable 27 is connected at one end to the under side of the platform of the lift 14 and extends downwardly and over a pair of bottom guide pulleys 28 and 29, and thence upwardly over a top guide pulley 3O suitably journaled and supported at the top of the lift frame just below the transverse tie beams 15. Thence the trip cable extends downwardly around guide pulleys 29 and 28, and is then connected at its other end to the lower side of the platform of the lift 14. At suitable points on this trip cable 27 are secured striker buttons 31 and 32 which engage with the mechanism for rocking the shaft 21 and pulley 20 next to be described.

This last-mentioned mechanism is best shown as to its construction and mode of operation in the detail views, Figs. 4 to 10 inclusive. Referring thereto, on the shaft 21 are a pair of oppositely facin discs 33 and 34 that are keyed to the rock shaft 21 by pins 35 (Fig. 8) passing through disc hubs and the shaft 21. The upper portions of the opposed faces of these discs are connected by a pair of pins 36 and 37, these two pins being slightly offset laterally from each other, as shown in Figs. 4 to 7. Rotatable and slidable on the shaft 21, between the discs 33 and 34, are a pair of oppositely extending arms 38 and 39. These arms are formed in their inner portions with slots 40 that loosely straddle the shaft 21, and the outer free end portions of said arms are forked, and said forked portions are formed in their lower edges with notches 41 that are adapted to be engaged by the strikers 31 and 32 on the trip cable 27, which latter passes through the forked ends of the arms and is confined against escape therefrom by cross pins 51 in the free ends of the. arms. A pin 49 mounted in the bracket 23 and extending through arcuate slots 50 in the discs 33 and 34 serves to limit the down swing of Y the arms to positions favorable for engagement of the'notches 41 by the rounded upper ends of the strikers 31 and 32.

Briefly describing the operation, the position of the discs as shown in F igs. 1, 4 and I 6 is a neutral position; that is to say, when the discs are in this position, the shaft 21 has been rocked to actuate the cotntrol cable 19 so as to stop the hoisting machine, apply the brake, and close the throttle of the motor. In the position ofthe lifts shown'in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the striker 32 has raised the arm 38 from the position shown in Fig. 7 to the position shown in Fig. 4. The arm 38 acting through the pin 36 has turned the discs 33, 34, shaft 21, and pulley 20 so as to operate the control cable 19 and arrest the hoisting movement. To re-start the hoisting movement when the upper lift has beenunloaded and the lower lift loaded, the other end of shaft 21 is equipped with an elbow lever or yoke, the twoodivergent arms 43 and 44 of which are equipped with depending cords 45 and 46. carrying handles 47 and 48. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 4, the handle 48 is pulled downwardly, rocking the elbow lever to the position shown in Fig. 5. This actuates the control cable in a direction to restart the hoisting machine, whereupon-the arm 38, no longer supported by the striker 32, drops, and 'the' parts take the positions shown'in Fig. 5. The lift 14 descends and the lift 14 rises. -When. the lift 14 reaches its unloading position, the striker 31 engages with and raises the arm 39, the parts then taking the positions .shown in Fig. 6. This, through pin 37 and discs 33, 34, rocks the shaft 21 and actuates the control cable to stop and brake the hoisting machine. When the lift 14 has been unloaded and the lift 14 loaded, the operator pulls down on handle 47, thus restarting the. hoisting machine, whereupon the arm 39, no longer supported'by the striker 31,-drops, and the parts take the position shown in Fig. 7. The lift 14 rises and the lift 14 descends. When the lift 14 reaches its unloading position, the striker 32 engages with and raises the arm 38, the parts then taking the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 4.- This, through pin 36 and discs 33, 34, rocks the shaft 21 and again actuates the control cable to stop and brake thehoisting machine. This completes one cycle of operation of the lifts.

WVhen manually starting the hoisting machine in operation by a down pull on either of the handles 47 and 48, the pin 49, in cooperation with the slots 50, also serves as a movement-limiting device to prevent excess rotary movement or overthrow of the discs As hereinabove stated, the cable 27 serves not only the function of a trip cable to arrest the operation of the hoisting machine when each loaded lift has reached the unloading station, but, independently of its function as a trip device, by reason of its creating a down drag on the lifts during each ascending and descending movement of the latter, it exerts a steadying action and reducesanybinding action and chatter of the lifts on their guides due to off-center loading of the lifts. So far as I am aware, I am the first to equip a hoisting mechanism of this type with such a lift-steadying device. r y 1 The structural details herein shown and describedmay manifestly be varied within the scope and purview ofthe claims, without involving any departure from the principle of the invention orsacrificing any of the benefits and advantagesthereof.

1. In a building material hoist of the type described, the combination of a pair of vertical guideways, lifts slidable in saidv guideways, pulleys mounted on the" top. of said guideways, a lift-operating cable connected to said lifts and trained over said pulleys,

a control cable, a trip cable connected at its ends to the bottom of said lifts, guiding means for said trip cable,- strikers on said trip cable, and means actuated by said strikers for operating said control cable.

2; Ina building material hoist of the type described, the combination of a pair of vertical guideways, lifts slidable in said guideways, pulleys mounted on the tops of said guideways, a lift-operating cable connected to said lifts andvtrained over said pulleys, a control cable suspended from the top of said guideways, a trip cable connected at its, ends to the bottoms of said lifts, top and bottom guide pulleys for said trip cable, strikerson the limbs of said trip cable that travel between said top and bottom guide pulleys, and means actuated by said strikers for operating said control cable.

3. In a building material hoist of the type described, the combination of a pair of vertical guideways, lifts slidable in said guideways, pulleys mounted on the top ofsaid guideways, a lift operating cable connected to said lifts and trained over said pulleys, a horizontal shaft intermediate said guideways near the top of the latter, a controlfcable V actuating member fast on said shaft, a control cable suspended from said member,-a

. trip cable connected at its ends to the bottoms of said lifts, top and bottom guide pulleys for. said trip cable, strikers on the limbs of said trip cable that travel between said top and bottom guide pulleys, and means on said shaft actuated by said strikers to partially i 1120 rotate said shaft alternately in reverse directions. v

4. In a building material hoist of the type described, the combination of a pair of vertical guideways, lifts slidable in said guideways, pulleys mounted on the top of said guideways, a lift-operating cable connected to said lifts and trained over said pulleys, a horizontal shaft intermediate said guideways near the top of the latter,,a control cable actuating member fast on said shaft,

a control cable'suspen'ded from said member and functioning to start, stop and reverse a power driven winding drum for operating saidlift-operating cable, said control cable actuating member being rotatable between a neutral position and Working positions on either side of said neutral position, a trip cable connected at its ends to the bottoms of said lifts, top andbottom guide pulleys for said trip cable, strikers on the limbs of said trip cable that travel between said top and bottom guide pulleys, means on said shaft alternately actuated by said strikers to rotate said control cable actuating member from a working position to neutral position, and manually operable means on said shaft for. rotating" said controlv cable actuating member from neutral position alternately to its two working positions.

5. In an automatic control mechanism for building material hoists, the combination of a rock shaft, a control cable actuating member fast on said rock shaft, a control cable suspended from said member, a pair of oppositely extending arms loosely mounted at theirinner ends on said rock shaft with their free outer ends disposed in the paths of verticallymoving strikers, and means for trans mitting a turning movement to said shaft from the rising movement of each of said arms independently of the other arm.

6. In an automatic control mechanism for building materialhoists, the combination of a rock shaft, a control cable actuating memberfast on said rock shaft, a control cable suspended from said member, a pair of oppositely extending arms having slotted inner end portions slidably mounted on said rock shaft with'their free outer ends disposed in the paths of vertically moving strikers, and means for transmitting a turning movement to said shaft from the rising movement of each of said arms independently of the other arm.

7. In an automatic control mechanism for building material hoists, the combination of -a rockshaft, a control cable actuating member fast onsaid rock shaft, a control cable suspended from said member, a pair of oppositely extending arms havingv slotted inner end portions slidably mountedon said rock shaft With their free outer ends disposed in the paths of vertically moving strikers, discs fast on said shaft, and pins on said discs respectively actuated by said arms on their rising movements for transmitting a turning movement to said shaft.

8. In an automatic control mechanism for building material hoists, the combination of a rock shaft, a control cable actuating member fast on said rock shaft, a control cable suspended from said member, a pair of oppositely extending arms having slotted inner end portions slidably mounted on said rock shaft, and notched free outer ends disposed in thepaths of vertically moving strikers, oppositely facing discs fast on said shaft, and pins on the opposed faces of said discs respectively actuated by the upper edges of said arms on the rising movements of the latter for transmitting a turning movement to said shaft.

9. In an automatic control mechanism for building material hoists, the combination of a rock shaft, a control cable actuating member fast on said rock shaft, a control cable suspended from said member, a pair of oppositely extending arms having slotted inner end portions slidably mounted on said rock shaft, and notched free outer ends disposed in the paths of vertically moving strikers,

oppositely facing discs fast on said shaft,

p ns on the opposed faces of said discs respectively engaged and actuated by the up per edges of'said arms on the rising movements of the latter for transmitting a turning movement to said shaft, manually operable means for turning said shaft, and means associated with one of'said discs for limiting the extent of turning movement imparted to said shaft by said manually operable v means. 7

10. In a building material hoist of the type described, the combination of a pair of vertical guideways', lifts slidable in said guideways, pulleys mounted on the top of said guideways, alift-operating cable con nected to said lifts and trained over said pulleys, a lift-steadying cable connected at its ends to the bottoms of said lifts, and guide pulleys at the top and bottom respectively of said guideways over which said lift-steady ing cable is trained. I

ALEXANDER H. WILSON. 

